With two losses in their three game-road trip and only three wins in the past ten, Saturday night’s game in LA was a must-win for the St. Louis Blues.
The Blues hung onto a lead and won 4-3 against the Kings. The win snapped a seven-game losing streak and gave Davis Payne his first victory behind the Blues’ bench.
To wrap up this road trip with a win, the Blues knew they would have to strike quickly. And they did just that. Brad Winchester scored just 13 seconds into the 1st period, before most fans were even seated. Winchester’s 2nd of the season was a re-direct from Colaiacovo, who wristed the puck toward the net.
The Kings couldn’t solve Mason in the 1st, but opened up the 2nd period scoring. Rookie winger Brandon Segal scored his first NHL goal when a shot deflected off a reaching Erik Johnson’s stick and up over Mason’s shoulder.
David Perron retook the lead for the Blues after scoring a pretty goal. At 18:54, Perron took a pass from Jay McClement and went mono-y-mono with a Kings defenseman. Perron stopped on a dime (a move which caused the befuddled defenseman to completely overskate Perron) and then sniped one past Quick, top corner. It was a beautiful goal and gave #57 his 12th of the year.
The 3rd period saw the Blues score two unanswered goals, taking a 4-1 lead before the halfway mark of the period. TJ Oshie scored first, a SHG that echoed his highlight-reel tally against Luongo last season. Then BJ Crombeen scored a 2 on 1 breakout with Jay McClement, who had a great game with 2 assists.
The Kings saved all the excitement for the latter half of the 3rd period. After the Blues scored two, they answered with two of their own. Captain Dustin Brown scored his 10th of the year, after the Blues defense crashed and Brown was left ample time and space in the slot.
Anze Kopitar narrowed the lead to just one after netting a PPG at 16:08. The powerplay was a result of Barret Jackman’s holding minor. Despite their comeback efforts, the Kings got a taste of the Blues’ home troubles and lost 4-3.
This game is hopefully a sign of things to come. The Blues needed to win and they got it done. Now if we could only adopt that mentality at home…. The Blues flat out earned this win. They outshot, outworked, and outscored the opposition. Payne’s aggressive forecheck system seems to be doing wonders for the young squad. Players are working the boards, using their energy to outlast opponents, and then moving the puck towards the net. The system is working.
Defense is improving noticeably as well. Sure, Eric Brewer still puts pucks into our own net, but at least we’re moving forward. Players are protecting the blue line and clogging up the neutral zone, giving opponents fewer options. The system is working.
Oh, you mean the Blues are playing hockey? For a whole 60 minutes? IT’S ABOUT DAMN TIME! Playing hockey for the entire game, capitalizing on scoring chances, and not going into a defensive shell are strategies that win games. And Jesus, do we need some wins. Hopefully the Blues realize how important this game is to their turnaround and their hunt for the playoffs. They’re going to need another few games like this under their belt if they want to play some postseason hockey.
T.J Cray
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